Gluten Free Beer

The 9th Annual Amber Waves of Grain Homebrewed Beer Competition is looking for beers made with some very special ingredients. This year’s competition has added a special brewing style called "Category 99 – Gluten Free Brewing". This category, sponsored by Bard’s Tale Beer, provides a very unique challenge to beer brewers because most of the traditional brewing grains cannot be used….

Bard’s Tale Beer stems from the efforts of Celiac Homebrewers that wanted to create a drinkable beer for their own consumption. This required experimentation with acceptable grains that could be malted to be able to produce a palatable beer. Some grains that have been proven to be tolerable by Celiac sufferers include Amaranth, Sorghum, Quinoa, Corn, Rice, Buckwheat, Sunflower & Soybean. Information on several Gluten Free Homebrewing projects can be found on the Internet by searching for "gluten free beer".

The Amber Waves of Grain Competition dates are May 20th – 21st and the entry deadline is May 6th. There is a $5.00 entry fee for each entry. Details about the competition, including entry forms and instructions, can be found at http://www.betterbeermovement.com. Due to the sensitivity of this beer category, you must submit a complete list of ingredients for each entry.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that basically renders the sufferer intolerant to gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats). So obviously, regular beer is out, and this becomes a real interesting question of, what kind of beer can you brew with alternative grains?

Of the grains they listed as alternatives, sunflower and soybean caught me off guard; I’d think they would be too oily to brew beer from. I’d be interested in trying to brew with some of these alternatives, though I imagine I’d have to have an all-grain setup to do so.

Bard’s Tale Beer (found from the press release) offers a sorghum beer. Their Dragon’s Gold beer is reviewed here on BeerAdvocate, garnering an average rating. Unfortunately, the beer is not available in Oregon, so I’m unable to report on it.

Any other commercial gluten free beers out there? Has anyone tried brewing their own with any alternative grains?